Trace Elements In River Water Research Articles

Coupled controls of the infiltration of rivers, urban activities and carbonate on trace elements in a karst groundwater system from Guiyang, Southwest China

Hydrogeochemical processes of trace elements (TEs) are of considerable significance to river water and groundwater resource assessment and utilization in the karst region. Therefore, seven TEs were analyzed to investigate their contents, spatial variations, sources, and controlling factors in Guiyang, a typical karst urban area in southwest China. The results showed that the average content of TEs in river water (e.g., As = 1.44 ± 0.47 μg/L andCo = 0.15 ± 0.06 μg/L) was higher than that of groundwater (e.g., As = 0.51 ± 0.42 μg/L andCo = 0.09 ± 0.05 μg/L). The types of groundwater samples were dominated by Ca/Mg-HCO3 and Ca/Mg-Cl types, while those of the river water samples were Ca-Cl and Ca/Mg-Cl types. Principal component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis (CA) analyses indicated that As and Mn in the groundwater of the study area were related to river infiltration. The end-member analysis further revealed that river infiltration (As = 0.86–1.81 μg/L, Cl/SO42- = 0.62–0.89) and urban activities (As = 0.21–0.32 μg/L, Cl/SO42- = 0.51–0.89) were two main controlling factors of TEs (e.g., As, Co, and Mn) in the study area. In addition, the ion ratios in river and groundwater samples indicated that the weathering of carbonates was also an important control on the hydrogeochemistry of TEs (e.g., Fe and Mn) in Guiyang waters. This study showed that the trace element (TE) contents of groundwater in the Guiyang area were greatly associated with urban input and river recharge, and provided a new perspective for understanding the geochemical behavior of TEs in urban surface and groundwater bodies, which will help the protection of groundwater in the karst areas of southwest China.

Distribution characteristics, enrichment patterns and health risk assessment of dissolved trace elements in river water in the source region of the Yangtze River

Abstract The security of water environment in the source region of the Yangtze River (SRYR) is vital to the water environment security of the whole basin. The results showed that the rivers in the SRYR were weakly alkaline and the values of total solid solubility (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity concentration and salinity were higher than the values in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The results showed that the dissolved trace elements detected displayed obvious regional distribution characteristics, showing a high concentration trend in the Chumar River, low in the Dangqu, and middle in the Tong River. All water quality indexes in the SRYR met the surface water environmental quality standard of class II based on GB 3838-2002 except Hg, while the average concentration of As exceeded 10 μg/L. The main enrichment elements in the SRYR were Li, Se, As and Pb, and their concentrations were far higher than the average concentration of the world rivers. Moreover, the HI and HQingrstion of children caused by As in the SRYR were greater than 1. This study could provide basic data for water environment protection and water resource management in the SRYR.

Characteristics, sources, water quality and health risk assessment of trace elements in river water and well water in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Water resources and water quality are restrictive factors in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), a unique area with most severe soil erosion, fragile ecology and water shortage. River and well water samples were firstly analyzed, and multiple methods and indexes, including principal component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis (CA), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), water quality index (WQI), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI), were used to investigate characteristics, water quality and health risk assessment of trace elements in CLP. The average trace elements concentrations were higher than the world average with a slightly alkaline characteristic. PCA and CA showed that Al, Fe, Li, B, As, and F had natural origins from loess weathering and leaching; Cr, Pb, Cd, Cu, Ag, and Tl were mainly from anthropogenic input; Co, Ni, and Mn were dominated by both anthropogenic and natural sources. The poor river water quality was mainly related with high sodium (alkalinity) and salinity hazard. The poor well water quality samples with high WQI values, especially for As, Cr, and B, were distributed in the northwest and the Fenhe River sub-basin. The pollution level of trace elements in rivers in CLP was in medium level compared with other rivers worldwide. Arsenic pollution was the worst in well water and was the potential pollutant in river water especially for children. Arid climate together with anthropogenic input and special water characteristics (high Na, pH, and low Ca) aggravated As pollution. More work should be done to monitor the secular variation and remove As in the high As areas. The results of this study can provide the basic data for efficient water management and human health protection in CLP.

Forms of trace arsenic, cesium, cadmium, and lead transported into river water for the irrigation of Japanese paddy rice fields

In this study, we focus on the behavior of geogenic, toxic trace elements, particularly As, Cs, Cd, and Pb, during their transportation in two rivers for irrigation commonly used in monsoon Asia; one river originates from an active volcano, Mt. Asama, and the other originates from a currently inactive volcano, Yatsugatake Mountains in Nagano, Japan. These rivers were investigated to understand the role of river water as a pollutant of rice and other aquatic plants (via irrigation) and aquatic animals. The results indicated that the behavior of toxic trace elements in river water are likely controlled by their interactions with particulate Fe, Al, and Ti compounds. The majority of Pb and Cd is transported as particulate matter with Fe, Al, and Ti, while the majority of As is transported in the dissolved form, predominantly as arsenate, with low abundance of particulate matter. Cs is transported either as the dissolved form or as particulate matter in both rivers. The investigated elements are transported in the rivers as particulate and dissolved forms, and the ratio of these forms is controlled by the pH and presence of particulate Fe, Al, and Ti phases in the river water. With respect to Cs in both rivers, the parameter governing the concentration and transportation of Cs, in the bimodal form (i.e., particulate and dissolved forms), through the river possibly shifts from sorption to pH by particulate Fe–Al–Ti, according to the abrupt increase in the concentration of Cs in the river. The chemical attraction of particulate Fe–Al–Ti for Cs is weaker than that for Pb and Cd, indicating that the lower electronegativity of Cs weakens the chemical attraction on a colloid for the competitive sorption with the other trace elements. The different relationships between As and Fe in the river and in the irrigation water and soil water, as well as those in paddy rice, suggested that As in paddy rice is not directly derived from As in the irrigation water from the river under flooding.

Mobility of nutrients and trace metals during weathering in the late Archean

The evolution of the geosphere and biosphere depends on the availability of bio-essential nutrients and trace metals. Consequently, the chemical and isotopic variability of trace elements in the sedimentary record have been widely used to infer the existence of early life and fluctuations in the near-surface environment on the early Earth, particularly fluctuations in the redox state of the atmosphere. In this study, we applied late Archean weathering models (Hao et al., 2017), developed to estimate the behavior of major elements and the composition of late Archean world average river water, to explore the behavior of nutrient and trace metals and their potential for riverine transport. We focused on P, Mn, Cr, and Cu during the weathering of olivine basalt.In our standard late Archean weathering model (pCO2,g = 10−1.5 bars, pH2,g = 10−5.0 bars), crustal apatite was totally dissolved by the acidic rainwater during weathering. Our model quantitatively links the pCO2,g of the atmosphere to phosphate levels transported by rivers. The development of late Archean river water (pH = 6.4) resulted in riverine phosphate of at least 1.7 μmolar, much higher than at the present-day. At the end of the early Proterozoic snowball Earth event when pCO2,g could be 0.01–0.10 bars, river water may have transported up to 70 μmolar phosphate, depending on the availability of apatite, thereby stimulating high levels of oxygenic photosynthesis in the marine environment.Crustal levels of Mn in olivine dissolved completely during weathering, except at large extents of weathering where Mn was stored as a component of a secondary carbonate mineral. The corresponding Mn content of river water, about 1.2 μmolar, is higher than in modern river water. Whiffs of 10−5 mole O2 gas or HNO3 kg−1 H2O resulted in the formation of pyrolusite (MnO2) and abundant hematite and simultaneous dramatic decreases in the concentration of Mn(II) in the river water.Chromite dissolution resulted in negligible dissolved Cr in Archean river water. However, amorphous Cr(OH)3 representing easily-weatherable Cr-bearing minerals dissolved totally during the weathering simulations, resulting in concentrations of Cr(III) in the river water of up to 0.14 μmolar, higher than at the present-day.Late Archean weathering of accessory chalcopyrite produced chalcocite and bornite, and extremely low concentrations of Cu (<10−15 molar) because of the low solubilities of the copper sulfides. However, pulses of either O2,g or HNO3 produced native copper, chalcocite, and bornite, much more hematite, and river water containing levels of dissolved Cu comparable to the present-day. Copper mineralogy predicted by weathering models might provide a new correlation with evidence from studies of copper mineral evolution.Overall, our results implied that the redox state of the atmosphere, the pH of surface waters, and the availability of easily-weatherable minerals are all important factors controlling the dissolution of trace elements in river water. Interpretation of the sedimentary signatures of trace elements should consider not only the redox state but also the pH and availability of accessory minerals.

Lithological controls of dissolved trace elements: carbonate versus silicate

Trace elements in river waters can give information about chemical weathering and aqueous environments, but the systematics of trace elements in river waters have been poorly understood. Here, concentrations of dissolved trace elements were determined to investigate factors controlling their seasonal and spatial variations in the Han River Basin (HR), South Korea. Two major branches, the North Han River (NHR) and South Han River (SHR), differed largely in concentrations of their trace elements (e.g., As, B, Co, Li, Ni, and U), with the NHR having low concentrations and the SHR having high concentrations. This difference can be mainly attributed to the underlying lithology of the watersheds, namely, silicates in the NHR and carbonates plus clastic sediments containing black slate rich in trace elements in the SHR. Seasonally, concentrations of trace elements such as Al, Co, Fe, and Rb in the NHR were higher in summer, indicating that these trace elements exist as a colloid-borne form because of intensive physical weathering in the NHR. In contrast, the SHR showed little or no seasonal variation in concentrations of those trace elements.

Sources and flux of trace elements in river water collected from the Lake Qinghai catchment, NE Tibetan Plateau

River waters play a significant role in supplying naturally- and anthropogenically-derived materials to Lake Qinghai, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. To define the sources and controlling processes for river water chemistry within the Lake Qinghai catchment, high precision ICP-MS trace element concentrations were measured in water samples collected from the Buha River weekly in 2007, and from other major rivers in the post-monsoon (late October 2006) and monsoon (late July 2007) seasons. The distributions of trace elements vary in time and space with distinct seasonal patterns. The primary flux in the Buha River is higher TDS and dissolved Al, B, Cr, Li, Mo, Rb, Sr and U during springtime than those during other seasons and is attributed to the inputs derived from both rock weathering and atmospheric processes. Among these elements, the fluxes of dissolved Cr, B and Rb are strongly influenced by eolian dust input. The fluxes of dissolved Li, Mo, Sr and U are also influenced by weathering processes, reflecting the sensitivity of chemical weathering to monsoon conditions. The anthropogenic sources appear to be the dominant contribution to potentially harmful metals (Ni, Cu, Co, Zn and Pb), with high fluxes at onset of the main discharge pulses due, at least partially, to a runoff washout effect. For other major rivers, except for Ba, concentrations of trace elements are higher in the monsoon than in the post-monsoon season. A total of 38.5 ± 3.1 tons of potentially harmful elements are transported into the lake annually, despite human activities within the catchment being limited. Nearly all river water samples contain dissolved trace elements below the World Health Organization guidelines for drinking water, with the exception of As and B in the Daotang River water samples collected in late July probably mobilized from underlying lacustrine sediments.

A Preconcentration Method for Collecting Trace Elements in Riverwater by means of Ultrafiltration of Colloidal Magnesium Hydroxide Derived from Magnesium Contained in the Sample

A Preconcentration Method for Collecting Trace Elements in Riverwater by means of Ultrafiltration of Colloidal Magnesium Hydroxide Derived from Magnesium Contained in the Sample

Effects of continuous flow centrifugation on measurements of trace elements in river water: intrinsic contamination and particle fragmentation

AbstractContinuous flow centrifugation (CFC) is a well‐established technique used in natural surface water studies to collect large amounts of suspended solids, thus allowing a broad spectrum of measurements. However, a potential contamination or changes in the particle size distribution during the centrifugation may restrain the use of CFC effluents for element analysis in the colloidal and dissolved fractions. In this paper we evaluate the possibility of using the effluent of a Westfalia centrifuge (type KA2‐06‐075, 9700 rpm) for such analysis. This evaluation is based on two laboratory experiments with deionized and tap water and two field experiments in rivers. Elemental concentration changes across the CFC were assessed from the CFC influent and effluent after a filtration at 0·45 µm. Significant increases were found, mainly in the field experiments at a high suspended solids level and a slightly acid pH. A hypothesis was made on the origin of these increases as a superposition of a centrifuge intrinsic contamination and a particle fragmentation effect. A numerical model based on elemental concentration measurements (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) gave a particle fragmentation level of 0·55% (mass percentage of particles broken up into smaller fragments during centrifugation). In another experiment, a direct particle counting (single particle counter) shows an excess of particles smaller than 500 nm in the CFC effluent, corresponding to a fragmentation level of 0·11%. In consequence, the use of CFC effluent for element analysis is possible in low‐turbidity river or lake waters, but should be carefully considered in waters with high suspended matter contents. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Mercury and lead in a single strand of pinnule of snow petrel (Pagodroma Nivea) in the Antarctic

The direct determination of most trace elements in natural water samples is still very difficult even if the high-sensitivity atomic analytical instrument, such as ICP-MS, is available. The reasons are (1) the natural concentrations of most trace elements in the water samples are extremely low, and (2) the concentrations of major ions (Na, Mg, K and Ca) are very high in some water samples, such as seawater. Therefore, this work presents syringe-driven chelate-minicolumns as a preconcentration method for trace elements in natural water for the determination by ICP-MS. Laboratory-made syringe-driven chelate-minicolumns were constructed with three kinds of parts, i.e., two kinds of syringe filters and a kind of chelating resin (200-400 mesh) with iminodiacetate as functional group. All of these parts are commonly available; therefore the present method may be easily reproduced in any laboratories. The samples were adjusted to a certain pH conditions (pH 5 for fresh water and pH=6 for seawater) and loaded to the minicolumn so that trace elements could be adsorbed on the resin packed in the minicolunm. Thereat~er, trace elements adsorbed on the minicolumn were eluted with 2 M nitric acid. Trace elements in the eluent were measured with ICP-MS instrument, where Ge, In, Re, and TI were added as internal standard. In the case of seawater, 1 M ammonium acetate was passed through the minicolumn to eliminate major ions prior to the elution of trace elements. A common-size minicolumn with bed volume of ca. 0.08 mL and a down-sized minicolumn with bed volume of ca. 0.01 mL were capable for the high-flow-rate (with flow rate of ca. 10 mL/min) preconcentration and for the high-concentration-factor (100-fold preconcentration using only 50 mL of sample) preconcentration of trace elements in na~tral water, respectively. More than 20 trace elements, including all natural rare earth elements, in natural water could be preconcentrated with good recovery values exceeding 80%. The present minicolumns were successfully applied to the analysis of trace elements in river water, lake water, seawater, and submarine hydrothermal fluid. Because the present minicolumns are of the syringe driven type, they are also portable and could be easily applied to the on-site pretreatment of natural water samples.

Dissolved trace elements in river water: spatial distribution and the influencing factor, a study for the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China

Twenty-nine water samples were collected from different river channels of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, China. An inductively coupled plasma-mass spectromonitor (ICP-MS) was used to measure concentrations of the trace elements in these samples. The results suggest that the average concentrations of rare earth elements in river water show an increasing trend from the West River, the North River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta, and the Shenzhen River to the East River. Relatively high concentrations of heavy metals appear in the East River, the rivers of the Pearl River Delta and the Shenzhen River, while the West River and the North River have relatively low heavy metal concentrations. Trace element concentrations in samples collected near urban or industrial areas are much higher than those of samples collected from distant areas, away from urban and industrial areas. After natural conditions, human activities have significant influence on the trace element concentrations in river water. This trace element concentration’s spatial distribution in the river water from the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone is actually an integrated effect of natural conditions and human activity.

Syringe filtration methods for examining dissolved and colloidal trace element distributions in remote field locations.

It is well-established that sampling and sample processing can easily introduce contamination into dissolved trace element samples if precautions are not taken. However, work in remote locations sometimes precludes bringing bulky clean lab equipment into the field and likewise may make timely transport of samples to the lab for processing impossible. Straightforward syringe filtration methods are described here for collecting small quantities (15 mL) of 0.45- and 0.02-microm filtered river water in an uncontaminated manner. These filtration methods take advantage of recent advances in analytical capabilities that require only small amounts of waterfor analysis of a suite of dissolved trace elements. Filter clogging and solute rejection artifacts appear to be minimal, although some adsorption of metals and organics does affect the first approximately 10 mL of water passing through the filters. Overall the methods are clean, easy to use, and provide reproducible representations of the dissolved and colloidal fractions of trace elements in river waters. Furthermore, sample processing materials can be prepared well in advance in a clean lab and transported cleanly and compactly to the field. Application of these methods is illustrated with data from remote locations in the Rocky Mountains and along the Yukon River. Evidence from field flow fractionation suggests that the 0.02-microm filters may provide a practical cutoff to distinguish metals associated with small inorganic and organic complexes from those associated with silicate and oxide colloids.

Multielement determination of trace elements in river water certified reference materials (JAC0031, JAC0032) by ICP-MS and ICP-AES with chelating resin preconcentration.

誘導結合プラズマ質量分析法(ICP-MS)及び誘導結合プラズマ発光分析法(ICP-AES)を,日本分析化学会より頒布されている河川水標準物質(JAC 0031,JAC 0032)中の微量元素の多元素定量に適用した.ICP-MS及びICP-AESによる多元素分析においては,河川水試料の直接導入法とともに微量元素に対してキレート樹脂濃縮法を併用することにより,河川水標準物質中の37元素の定量を行うことができた.Caの12300からTmの0.00012μg l-1まで9けたに及ぶ広い濃度範囲の定量値が得られた.認証値が求められている元素については,おおむね認証値と一致した結果であった.又,希土類元素についても,すべて定量することができ,頁岩中濃度で規格化した希土パターンでは重希土類元素の相対存在度が高く,Ceの負の異常がある天然水特有のパターンが得られた.

Use of an ultrafiltration and gamma‐ray irradiation technique for studying the speciation of trace elements in river waters

Abstract The physicochemical forms of 38 elements in several river waters were measured by size fractionation combined with a gamma (7)‐ray irradiation technique and a neutron activation analysis. The 7‐ray irradiation technique was effectively utilized to decompose organic materials in the river waters and made it possible to estimate the physicochemical forms of trace elements. The dissolved species for alkali and alkaline earth elements, Al, V, Mn, Sb and Au were present mainly as simple inorganic ions in the river waters. The dissolved species of Sc, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, Se, Ho, Tm, Yb, and Lu predominantly existed as soluble organic complexes, even though significant amounts of Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, and Se were also present as simple ions. The dissolved species of Fe, Ag, La, Ce, Sm, and Eu, on the other hand, were chiefly associated with organic colloids.

Determination of trace elements in river-water using total-reflection X-ray fluorescence

Total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) allows a simple multielement determination of more than 15 trace elements in river-water that are both dissolved and bound to suspended particulate matter (SPM). The sample preparation for the dissolved phase depends on whether the sample originates from the limnic or brackish region of the river. For the limnic region, direct measurements are feasible by spiking a few ml of the sample with an internal standard element, e.g. Sc or Co, and drying an aliquot of c. 20 μl on a quartz glass carrier. The detection limits are in the low μg l level. For samples originating from the estuarine region, a separation and concentration procedure is applied leading to detection limits of 0.05–0.5 μg l for a 100 ml sample. The suspended particulate matter is digested and subsequently prepared on the quartz glass carrier. Detection limits in the low μg g are sufficient for most of the elements to be determined. Precision is in the range of 2–15%, the accuracy within 2–25%. Results from the River Elbe are presented that demonstrate the capability of TXRF for routine measurements.

Physicochemical speciation of trace elements in river waters by size fractionation

Size fractionation method has been used for the speciation of trace elements in river waters. Both filtration and ultrafiltration techniques were applied to fractionate the trace elements into various sizes and/or moleculae weight ranges. The size distribution was determined for 39 elements by means of neutron activation analysis to estimate their physicochemical forms. Alkali and alkaline earth elements, heavy rare earth elements (REEs), As, Co, Mn, Ni, Sb, Se, V, W, and Zn were mainly present in the dissolved phase, while Ag, Al, Fe, Sc, and light REEs were predominantly associated with the suspended partic

Physicochemical Speciation of Trace Elements in River Water by Means of Ultrafiltration

Abstract Ultrafiltration and Millipore filtration techniques have been used in the speciation of trace elements in Tama River water. The size distribution was clarified for 32 elements by means of neutron-activation analysis in order to discuss their chemical or physical forms. Alkali and alkaline-earth elements were primarily found in the dissolved-size fraction (&amp;lt;0.45 μm). Their dissolved species were mostly distributed in the smallest-molecular-weight fraction (&amp;lt;MW 500), although the alkaline-earth elements were also recognized to a significant extent (20–30%) in the middle-molecular-weight fraction (MW 104–500). Transition elements were principally associated with the suspended-size fraction (&amp;gt;0.45 μm) in the upper reaches of the river, but in the lower reaches they were chiefly fractionated as the dissolved species, with the exception of Sc and Fe. The dissolved V and Mn were distributed in the smallest-molecular-weight fraction, while the Co, Ni, and Zn were divided between two smaller-molecular-weight fractions (MW 104–500 and &amp;lt;MW 500). Light rare-earth elements were mostly associated with suspended materials. Heavier rare-earth elements were, on the contrary, mainly found in the dissolved-size fraction, while their dissolved species were concentrated in the middle-molecular-weight fraction. The dissolved species for As, Se, Sb, and W were divided into two smaller-molecular-weight fractions, although As, Se, and W were predominantly found in the middle-molecular-weight fraction and Sb was mainly detected in the smallest-molecular-weight fraction. Aluminium and Ag were mainly associated with suspended materials. Furthermore, the dissolved Al was mostly distributed in the smallest-molecular-weight fraction, while the Ag was concentrated in the largest-molecular-weight fraction (&amp;gt;MW 104).

Physicochemical Speciation of Trace Elements in River Water by Size Fractionation

Abstract Eight kinds of Millipore filters with different pore sizes (8–0.025 μm) were used for the filtration of two water samples taken from the Tama River. The filtrates were analyzed for 31 elements using a neutron activation analysis. Most alkali and alkaline earth elements were distributed in the smallest size fraction (&amp;lt;0.025 μm). The same fractionation pattern was also recognized for As, Se, Mo, Sb, and W, which tend to form oxoanions. But the major transition elements were concentrated in the larger size fractions (&amp;gt;0.45 μm). For the river water sample with higher concentration of total organic carbon, however, most of such elements were found in the smallest size fraction. The solubilities of rare earth elements bacame higher with increasing their ionic potentials.

The analysis of river water for metal ions (lead, cadmium and copper) both in solution and adsorbed on suspended particles

A procedure is developed for measuring the distribution of trace elements in river waters between the free state in solution and adsrobed on particles. This procedure is applied for the analysis of various rivers in and around Glasgow for lead, cadmium and copper. The effect of storage of samples of river water on the distribution of lead ions is discussed. A method is suggested for predicting the initial distribution of a trace metal in the river itself. Conventional anodic stripping voltammetry is used for the elemental determinations.

The analysis of river water for metal ions (lead, cadmium and copper) both in solution and adsorbed on suspended particles

A procedure is developed for measuring the distribution of trace elements in river waters between the free state in solution and adsrobed on particles. This procedure is applied for the analysis of various rivers in and around Glasgow for lead, cadmium and copper. The effect of storage of samples of river water on the distribution of lead ions is discussed. A method is suggested for predicting the initial distribution of a trace metal in the river itself. Conventional anodic stripping voltammetry is used for the elemental determinations.